While on the road, the team dug itself deep holes and tried in vain to come back.

Last night during the Flames home opener, it was a similar story with a different outcome.

They forced overtime and earned a point.

Shean Donovan, arguably the hardest-working Flame during the 3-2 loss, considers the comeback a good step.

"That's a positive. I thought we played a lot better than we did on the road," said Donovan.

"It's a good sign when you come back by two but it's killer instinct and we have to learn to win those games."

Seems a few goals in the opening frame would help the Flames in a big way.

Coach Darryl Sutter would love for that to happen.

"I'd like to score seven, eight, nine, 10 goals in the first or something like that one of these games," Sutter said, little tongue-in-cheek. "I'm happy we came back but I'm not happy we didn't come all the way back. To get that far and get one (point) is good but when you get that point, then you want the other one."

Flames captain Jarome Iginla isn't about to panic over the lack of goals early in their first handful of games.

"It'll come," he said. "It was a better game for us as far as the defensive side and that's where our focus is now. We'll get chances. The better we play in that end, we'll feel more confident."

Donovan is hoping the team's first first-period goal comes sooner than later.

"We don't like that," said the speedy winger, who scrapped Steve Ott last night in the first frame. "I mean, at home here we get a ton of energy from our crowd so we should be better in the first period. Come Saturday (against Edmonton), hopefully we'll be a lot better."

Iginla says the way the games are called, comebacks have become fashionable.

"You're never out. If you can get skating and get your lines going, you can start turning the game around quickly," he said.

Now that they've proven they can defeat a deficit and come away with at least a point, Iginla says they can take the next step.

"There are some things that we're going to build upon and that's one of them -- we don't want to have to come back. But you do remember and gain some confidence in that area and now we'd like to gain some in (getting and) keeping a lead."